


Somewhere

by wckd_shan



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Enjoy me providing myself with Gally/Rachel content, F/M, Frypan/Gally are heavy as heck once Frypan comes into play, Harriet/Sonya are heavily implied and eventually come in at the end, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mostly just blood and gunshot wounds, Post-The Death Cure, Post-The Scorch Trials, Pre-The Death Cure, Pre-The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure Spoilers, There isn't really a lot of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-03-24 10:19:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13809153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wckd_shan/pseuds/wckd_shan
Summary: We last saw Rachel strung up and unconscious in the WCKD compound along with the other chosen subjects. But what if that wasn't the end of the line for Subject B2?Essentially, Rachel escapes from WCKD and finds herself working with Lawrence's group in Crank City, where she eventually meets a fellow escaped Immune, Gally. They've built new lives outside of their Mazes and outside of WCKD, but Rachel knows things can't go on like this forever.





	1. In A Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aris and Rachel arrive at the WCKD Compound after escaping their Maze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I've been playing around with the idea of Rachel actually being alive for years now and finally decided to plot it out. It picks up right after the Group B plot in the Scorch Trials Graphic Novel ("The True Maze") and continues on through The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure (where it finally intertwines with the movie plot)!
> 
> For anyone who didn't read the graphic novel. Here's a brief summary, some details were left out so I've filled in the blanks myself.  
> Group B's Maze was an ice maze, there were only nine gladers there (they called themselves "Icers" though), including Ximena, Harriet, Sonya, Alejandra, Miyoko, Beth, Cady, Rachel & Aris. Aris was the last to arrive and quickly joined the Icers in their daily quests exploring the maze and mapping it out. On his first day out, The Shades attacked (their versions of Grievers- Huge flying monsters) killing the Icers' leader Ximena and causing Rachel to fall from a great height. Rachel can no longer go out into the Maze because of her injuries so her and Aris stay back in the Homestead everyday and work on the Maps. Over a short period of time, Aris and Rachel figure out the key and obtain a WCKD device (long story) that has a detinator on it. Rachel presses the button without hesitation. The Shades attack. Ultimately, all the Icers except Harriet, Sonya, Rachel, and Aris are killed. Two different groups arrive in the Glade, one is WCKD who "rescue" Aris and Rachel, while Harriet and Sonya are rescued by an unnamed group (Who we later learn in The Right Arm).
> 
> Thanks for bearing with me, enjoy!
> 
> Title of Chapter One inspired by "In A Week" by Hozier

\---Rachel---

Time seemed to move so fast after being rescued from the Maze. Rachel couldn’t put her finger on why. Maybe it was the warmth, or the way the doctors spoke to her like she knew what they were talking about. Either way, her new surroundings had her head spinning. It bothered her that she didn’t have a real name for the compound they were in. All she knew was that they had rescued her and Aris from WCKD. And that they got quiet when she asked what had happened to Harriet and Sonya.

_WCKD must have known we were coming and taken them. Just be glad that we saved you._

That’s what they’d always say. If they even answered at all. But she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Sure, she was glad her and Aris had been _rescued_ , but what about Harriet and Sonya? Where did WCKD take them? If that was really WCKD that took them. Rachel couldn't decide if she _wanted_ it to be WCKD or not. Sure, the bastards had locked her and her friends in a death trap of a maze after taking away their memories. But if it wasn't WCKD, then who the hell was it?

“Don’t worry, Rachel. If they found us in the Maze, they’ll find Harriet and Sonya wherever WCKD brought them.” Aris assured her quietly, mumbling through a mouth full of food.

They were tucked away at their own table, away from the others in the cafeteria that the guards had brought them to. Rachel was confined to a wheelchair due to her lasting injuries from the Maze. She was sure she’d never walk again, no matter what the doctors said. Her lower back and thighs hurt like hell, and sure having any feeling at all- even pain - could be a good sign. But in all honesty, Rachel didn't care if she ever walked again, she was just happy to be alive. Walking felt like the least of her problems in a shady place like this.

Taking a sip of her water, whispered back, “What do you think they’re gonna do to them? WCKD, I mean. Not another maze, right?”

“Probably not,” He shrugged, finally swallowing the huge bite of cornbread he had taken, “If all these kids are from mazes too, obviously WCKD knows the locations aren’t secure.”

“Is that what the doctors told you?” Rachel asked, glancing down at her food with uncertainty.

“What? No.”

“What did they tell you then?” She pressed.

“About Harriet and Sonya? Nothing, just talked about vitals and vitamins and took some blood. Why?”

“Didn’t you ask them?” Rachel asked, frustration brimming, “Aren’t you worried?”

Rachel loved Aris. He’s her best friend and she knew the moment he arrived in the Box that he had been a part of her life before the Maze. But sometimes it felt like he was on his own planet. Or maybe it was her who was on her own planet. Whichever it was, it gave Rachel the idea that they might not agree on everything the way they had back in the Maze. But she was doing her best to ignore that thought at the moment, he was all she had left and she sure as hell wasn't going to lose him too.

Aris stopped eating and looked up at Rachel, furrowing his brow, “Of course, I’m worried, Rachel. But we just got here, I’m just trying to catch my breath.” He explained softly.

Rachel glanced over her shoulder just as Janson entered the room looking smug as ever. “Enter Ratman.” She muttered to herself, turning back to her tray of untouched food.

“You gotta eat, Rachel.” Aris offered quietly, worry lacing his voice.

“Mhm.” She hummed, not meeting his eye. Something about this place gave her the creeps. It all stemmed back to Janson, or as she liked calling him ‘Ratman.’ He had welcomed her and Aris- and another rescued group- to the compound last night. Giving them a quick tour before bringing them to get checked on by a bunch of doctors. He was hiding something, she could just tell.

Janson was speaking now, addressing the room, but Rachel ignored him easily since she was sitting with her back to him. Finally, she leaned closer to Aris, whispering, “There’s a pretty big vent in the room they had me sleep in last night.”

“What?” Aris asked, still looking at Janson, clearly trying to listen.

“A vent. It’s the only way out of the room other than the locked door. There aren’t any locks to pick on there, so I was looking at the vent and it’d be pretty easy to get open, just needs some unscrewing.” She explained without hesitation, “I couldn’t inspect too much just from my bed but maybe one of the other girls could help and-”

“What are you talking about?” Aris questioned, cutting Rachel off, looking at her now.

“You can’t tell me you’re not curious about what the hell this place is.”

“It’s warm. With beds and food. And no Shade monsters.” Aris replied, quietly, eyes flickering up to look past Rachel, his cheeks reddening.

Rachel turned around to see everyone looking their way, Janson included. There were a handful of kids standing with Janson on the other side of the room, smiling and lost in their own excited conversations.

“Sorry to interrupt, but you’re on the list, Rachel.” Janson spoke smoothly, holding up his clipboard slightly, eyes lingering on Rachel with a strange kind of satisfaction.

The look in his eye gave Rachel a bad feeling, “List?” She repeated, “I don’t-”

“ _If_ you had been listening, you would know that everyday we transfer a select few to a safer location. The Farm. Free from the Cranks and the Scorch.” He announced with a proud smile.

The other kids clapped and smiled in Rachel’s direction, as if they were waiting to see her reaction to the news.

“Oh-” Rachel turned to look at Aris, who looked just as confused as she felt.

“Come on, now. Your _little friend_ will be sent after you any day now. His time will come.” Janson explained, his sly smile ever-present as he glanced at Aris.

“Maybe someone can go in my place? I’m still kind of recovering…”

“You’ll recover much better at the farm, don’t worry. They have better supplies there, I assure you.”

She turned back to Aris, not wanting to see the look on Janson’s face anymore. Her eyes were trained on her best friend, who looked a bit thrown off, his eyes focused on Rachel. He forced a smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you. Like he said. It’ll be okay.”

She knew he was just saying that. He didn’t want her to go without him, but if Janson was telling the truth about the medical supplies, Aris would feel terrible delaying her departure. But Rachel didn’t feel good about this. Not at all. One of the guards that had been flanking Janson had made his way over to Rachel, his expression blank as he started to unlock the wheels of Rachel’s wheelchair, “Come on, you’re holding up the transport. His time will come.”

“Give me a minute,” Rachel insisted, shooting the guard a dirty look, the words _His time will come_ rubbed her the wrong way. But she tried to ignore it, leaning over to Aris carefully and placing her hand on his to give it a squeeze, “I’ll see you soon, shank.”

Aris smiled weakly, nodding, “See you soon.”

And with that, Rachel was whisked away. The scared look on Aris’ face as they said goodbye stayed with her and she couldn’t imagine ever forgetting it. And it was at that moment that a part of Rachel, very deep down, wondered if she’d ever see Aris again.

 

\---

 

After being wheeled to the Eastern Wing of the Unnamed Compound, Rachel and the others sat in a waiting room for a while. One by one they were called in to see the doctor. One last check-up before being transported. The two guards were each standing beside the doors, no emotion on their faces. It was a bit eerie, all the doctors and guards here were so… inexpressive. You’d think they’d be excited or even proud of helping all these immunes live safer lives. But instead, they barely looked them in the eye. Eyes glancing over them like some force of habit. Even now in such a confined and controlled environment, the guards each kept a hand on their weapons. The guns were clunky and strange-looking. It made her uncomfortable, being so close to loaded weapons, she wasn’t sure why.

During her entire wait, Rachel found herself searching the room for exits. No vents, just two doors. The door they entered through and the door that lead to the doctor’s office which were directly across the room from each other. But she knew there must be another exit through the office because every time a kid got called in, they never came back out. One by one, subjects entered the doctor’s office with big smiling faces, ready to start over, until Rachel was the only one left. The doorway to the office opened and the doctor, a short and pudgy man with neatly combed hair, nodded to the guard posted at his door. That guard moved to wheel Rachel out of the waiting room without a word.

Once in the office, Rachel’s eyes trailed over her new surroundings, a habit that seemed to be instinctual at this point. Another white room. White walls and white tiled floors. There was a chair that made Rachel think of a Dentist’s office, which was odd since she’d obviously never been to one. There was an overhead light and machines surrounding the chair, a lot like the ones from her check-up last night.

“Miller, if you could help Rachel into the chair while we wait for Dr. Crawford.” The doctor spoke, not even looking at Rachel as he looked over a thick file.

When Dr. Crawford arrived she seemed a bit more personable than the other doctors Rachel had met here. She introduced herself, even shook Rachel’s hand, which was a first. The guards stayed in the room the entire time, which Rachel thought was odd. Not only was this just a check-up but it wasn’t like Rachel could just get up and run away. Her legs were still pretty messed up. She could barely move them. And while that was a step up from just a couple weeks ago, when she had first gotten hurt, it wasn’t like she’d be running again any time soon.

“Okay Rachel, judging from the severity of your injuries I think it’s best if you head to the Farm before we attempt to really re-settle your legs. So for now we’re just going to give you a mild sedative-”

Finally, Rachel spoke, “Sedative? For what?”

Both doctors looked up at her with a knowing look, they glanced at each other before Dr. Crawford continued, “We’re restoring your memories.”

A strange wave of emotion fell over Rachel. She hadn’t even thought of that, getting her memories back. An endless stream of questions continued to fight her for her attention.

“You can do that?” She asked, her voice shaking slightly.

“Yes we can,” The second doctor spoke now as he turned away from her and fiddled with something on the desk. “And with your _cooperation_ it shouldn’t take long.” His voice dripping with sarcasm a he turned back to face her, syringe in hand. He had an impatient look on his face as he glanced up at Dr. Crawford, who was standing on the other side of Rachel now.

“What if I don’t want my memories back?” Rachel asked, her voice came across soft despite her attempts to sound confident.

Dr. Crawford spoke down to Rachel calmly, “We both know that you want them back, Rachel. You’re too curious to stay in the dark any longer.”

A shiver ran over Rachel at the assertive tone of Dr. Crawford’s words. The woman was so sure about what Rachel wanted and she was right, Rachel wanted her memories back. She _needed_ them back. But something was off. If WCKD removed Rachel’s memories in the first place, how could these doctors possibly know how to safely restore them? And how was Dr. Crawford so sure about what Rachel wanted? She had just met her last night. And what about her was in those files they kept checking? There were too many unanswered questions to just let them mess with her brain to restore her memories. Rachel’s eyes flickered across the room, noticing that both guards had started moving toward her, weapons still clutched in their hands tightly.

“I don’t want them back. I don’t want them.” Rachel lied desperately, feeling her heart beating quickly in her chest as she started sitting up. Dr. Crawford’s forced smile was gone now, and she spoke coldly, “Miller, DeLeo, hold her down.”

The guards spun their weapons so they were strapped on their backs now, freeing their hands. One stood behind the chair and held Rachel down by her shoulders, forcing her to sit back. The other held her arms down easily. Dr. Crawford spoke again, hovering over her, “Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be, Rachel. Just a couple days in the farm and then we’ll let you go back to your old life.”

Rachel was yelling now, thrashing against the force of the guards holding her down, “I DON’T WANT IT!”

The second doctor injected Rachel’s arm with the sedative without hesitation before shaking his head at her, his voice dripping with condescension, “You could never see the bigger picture, Rachel. Always such a hassle. We hope you’ll learn this time around.”

It was all happening too fast. Her struggling was useless now, she knew this. With two armed guards holding her down and a sedative in her system, she was doomed. Alert enough to realize she was going to lose this fight. She could already feel herself drifting off. “No, no…” She mumbled, eyelids drooping.

Dr. Crawford’s face hovered over her, making sure to stay in Rachel’s limited view. It was as if she was taunting her, teasing her for making this so easy. She smiled comfortably now, “We’ll see you on the other side, Rachel. And don’t forget… WCKD is good.”

 

\--- One Week Later --- Thomas ---

 

The whirring of the various machines filled Thomas’ ears as he and Aris stared forward at the rows of hanging bodies. He was halted in a daze as Aris stalked forward to get a closer look at the victims. _Victims._ Thomas didn’t know what the hell was being done to them, but he knew what they were. And as he stared at the tubes and wires and breathing masks that seemed to overwhelm each body, he had a sinking feeling that it was only a matter of time before this happened to his friends. And to him.

“ _Rachel?_ ” Thomas turned his head to see Aris standing in front of one of the hanging girls. Her limbs hanging lifelessly as Aris reached up to move her tightly curled black hair from her face. He sucked in a helpless breath as he got a better look at her face. He was clearly blinking back tears as he stared at her. Thomas walked forward slowly to stand beside the smaller boy. He removed his shaking hand from the girl’s face as his eyes scanned over her with worry, “They took her the first night. I told her it was gonna be okay.”

Thomas studied Aris’ face for a short moment before turning back to the girl. She couldn’t have been any older than Thomas. But no younger than Aris. She had scars on her arms that proved to Thomas she had been through hell just like himself and the gladers. But she also had metal braces on her legs, and she was the only one in sight with them. Not to mention the fresh scars covering her legs in an oddly organized fashion.  _What the hell happened to her?_ Thomas felt the urge to free her from these stupid wires and tubes. To help her. He eyed the machine she was hooked up to, trying to figure out some way to get her loose. But before he could get a good look, there was a thud behind the doors of the lab. And then the doors started to open. It was Janson.  
“ _Crap!”_

Though Thomas didn't know it yet, this wasn't the first time he'd seen Rachel before. And it wouldn't be the last time either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super long and choppy but thanks for reading!


	2. Sweet Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of Chapter Two inspired by "Sweet Dreams" by Dressage

First, Rachel remembered her father. A gentle man with shaggy ginger hair and thick glasses. He was never good at being serious, always cracking jokes and making silly faces to make his daughters laugh. Even with the world crumbling down around his family, he did everything to keep their spirits high.Until he disappeared without a trace one day. Dad.

Next, Rachel remembered her sister. Who had only been a little bigger than Rachel when she disappeared too, along with their dad. She had been playful and energetic- Hopeful. She had begged to go on errands with their father that day. And then they never came back. Wendy.

Then, Rachel remembered her mother. Her confident tone and all-knowing expression She had dark skin, darker than her daughters. But she had tightly-curled black hair- Just like Rachel. And she was a genius who went too far to help others- Just like Rachel. She was warm and protective and intelligent. She disappeared last. Left one day to find her husband and eldest daughter. And Rachel never saw her again either. Mama.

Soon enough her family faded from view as everything became fluorescent and emotionless. WCKD. More and more memories came back, causing her to remember each and every scream that had ever haunted her. Most of which occurred within the walls of WCKD. Straight-faced doctors with their clipboards and charts and judgemental glances. Long white hallways. Running barefoot on the cold, tiled floors. Hiding in electrical closets. Pretending to be inferior to the Psychs, until eventually thriving on making sure they knew she was smarter than they were. And within all these flashes of memories was one face. Aris.

\--- Rachel ---

Eyes opening slowly, all Rachel could see was the bottom of a metal bunk above her. And from some hidden vault in her mind, she realized how familiar this sensation was. Waking up in a metal bunk bed, the sound of air conditioning whirring in the background. She sat up too quickly, her head aching like a dull migraine. The room she was in looked a lot like the one she was brought to after being rescued from the Maze.

Everything that had felt so foreign that night- however many nights ago it was- was now too familiar. The fluorescent lights, the eerie cleanliness of the space. She now remembered years of waking up in rooms that looked exactly like this. Years of memories that must have been there all along, but were locked away. Now they were all there, and it was almost too much to take.

She nearly jumped when she noticed the shiny braces secured around each of her legs. Reaching forward to slide her fingers across the black metal, Rachel noticed the long scars that hid underneath the brackets on her bare legs. Long, straight scars that had seemingly healed. She carefully shifted her body to let her feet drop slowly to touch the floor.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel stood up carefully, wincing at the slight discomfort that shot through her legs. The metal of the brace moved easily along with her legs, bending at the knee to prevent too much of a limp. Before she could make it more than a couple of steps, the door unlocked with a Click. Three figures entered the room, one of which focused his cold expression on Rachel like he had done many times before.

Years of forced participation, guilt-inducing research, and manipulation could be associated with that cold expression he always wore. Dr. Madden. He had been Aris and Rachel’s advisor throughout their time at WCKD. He became Rachel’s least favorite person very quickly, and she never bothered hiding it. Not that Dr. Madden cared, he always seemed to thrive on ruining lives.

“You really shouldn’t be on your feet, Rachel. You’re going to ruin all the hard work we’ve done.” Dr. Madden spoke calmly, gesturing to the nurses behind him. They hesitantly stepped toward Rachel, causing her to backpedal back into sitting on the cot.

“What did they do to me?” Rachel’s words came out scratchy as she realized how dry her throat was, causing her to cough profusely. She swatted away the hands of the nurses as they attempted to check her pulse.

Dr. Madden simply waited for the young girl to finish coughing before he replied impatiently, “Don’t be so accusatory, Rachel. We helped you. If anything, a thank you is in order.”

Rachel stood back up, refusing to corner herself, now wasn’t the time to cower. She couldn’t help but notice how quickly the nurses stepped away from her. “I won’t thank you for giving me back what you took in the first place.”

She had spoken these exact words in regards to WCKD countless times throughout her life. WCKD was always fishing for thank you’s but never apologizing for the wrongs they’d done. They had caused so much pain in order to accomplish minor victories, and they never admitted to doing anything wrong. It had always bothered Rachel.

“We didn’t tell you fall 500 feet in the Ice Maze.” Dr. Madden paused, letting his response linger in the air, only confirming Rachel’s hatred for this miserable man. “It’s disappointing that you haven’t changed as much as some of the other subjects, Rachel. You’re still so set on pointing fingers. You’ve never been able to accept responsibility. You’re still just a sad little girl.” He practically spat the words at her, letting out a breath as if to compose himself. His next words were softer, “Now sit down so the Nurse Hawthorne can examine your leg braces.”

“No.” Rachel spat back at him, her tone icy.

“No examination, no access to the labs.” Dr. Madden stated, eyes on his clipboard. He always looked down at his clipboard to hide how calculated his actions were.

“Access to the labs?” Rachel asked, brow furrowed deeply.

Dr. Madden looked up at her, his expression screaming boredom, “Yes, the Med Wing has released you and after a Psych evaluation you’ll be cleared to return to your previous position.”

Rachel’s jaw dropped. Previous position? They wanted to her just go back to working with them? After the Maze? After what she had done to get thrown into the Maze in the first place? She sat down on the lumpy bottom bunk without a word, her eyes trained down in thought.

As one of the nurses looked over Rachel’s legs, she spoke to her, her tone devoid of emotion, “WCKD can be very forgiving, you’ll see.”

\--

Just thirty minutes later, Rachel found herself sitting across from a Psych. Her hands were cuffed to the metal table that sat between herself and the light-haired man.

“Can you tell me how much of your memory has returned?”

“No.” Rachel replied simply. It was a dumb question, so dumb that it wasn’t even worth poking fun at. How do you know how much memory you’ve lost… If you’ve lost it?

“Well, do you remember the work you used to do with WCKD?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember why WCKD performed the Memory Swipe procedure on you?”

“To put me into Maze B.”

“Do you remember why WCKD placed you in the Maze?”

“Yes.”

The Psych nodded, marking something down on his paper. “So you know how merciful it is to even consider letting such an ungrateful traitor like you back to your work?”

Rachel stared at the Psych with hard eyes, speaking firmly, “No.”

The man sighed, gathering his papers and standing up, “Well, you can tell that to Dr. Paige when you see her. I’m sure she’ll have more to say to you than I do.”

\--

It was a bumpy ride- wherever the hell they were shipping Rachel off to. She did her best to stay awake to focus on how long she’d been locked up in the back of the transport van. Her hands were still cuffed together, now chained to the wall of the van. The guard sitting across from her held his weapon in his hands tightly. There were two more guards in the front of the van, Rachel could hear them talking through the thin metal divider.

“Are they really taking me to Dr. Paige?” Rachel asked. He didn’t respond, just like he didn’t respond to the first ten questions she had asked him. She figured she’d wear him down eventually.

Rachel let out a loud sigh and leaned her head back against the wall of the van. She couldn’t just sit here in silence, not with so many unanswered questions. She just wanted to get to where Dr. Paige was. She hadn’t seen her since months before she’d been sent to the Maze. They hadn’t gotten along particularly well, the Chancellor had always liked Aris more. He took direction without asking questions. And he was much more internal than Rachel was. He could disagree with the product of their actions without mouthing off about it all the time. Rachel couldn’t. She refused to.

But Dr. Paige was the only way Rachel might get some answers. Where Harriet, Sonya and Aris were. Hell, where all the kids she grew up with were. Who had survived. If Rachel’s last-ditch effort to stop WCKD’s experiments actually did anything. She had realized since gaining her memories back that the second group who invaded the Maze was most likely the Right Arm. But did they really save Harriet and Sonya?

Suddenly, the brakes of the van screeched loudly, yanking Rachel out of her thoughts as she jerked forward dramatically only to be thrown back, hitting her head on the wall of the van. The last thing Rachel heard was gunshots and the guard’s radio flooded with messages of warning.

Their transport van had crashed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, the end of my semester was crazy!! Hope to update soon, thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> This whole story is dedicated to those who trusted and looked up to James Dashner, only to find out that he is an abuser. I do not support Dashner but felt inclined to give Rachel a story of her own since he denied her of that. I wanted to write a story that a young woman was the hero of since we never really got that in the Maze Runner series. As a fan of the stories, I wanted to tell a story that actually represented woman in a truthful way. So I hope you enjoy this fic and all of the woman in it who were cast aside by their own damn author.


End file.
